Elderly doctor pleads guilty to DV attack

AN ELDERLY doctor who strangled his wife of 47 years and held a knife to her stomach has been ordered to undertake anger management courses by a court.

The 68-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, today pleaded guilty to the domestic violence offence of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed of his wife at their home at Ormeau on the Gold Coast in October 2017.

He was sentenced to 18 months' probation for the terrifying attack.

The court heard the pair had been arguing all day when tensions rose about 7pm and the man grabbed his wife by the neck and pulled her hair, threatening her.

She then left and he followed her to the kitchen where the 68-year-old grabbed a knife and held it to her stomach before threatening the elderly woman and strangling her again, the Brisbane District Court was told.

The court heard the woman begged her husband to "calm down" before running to neighbour who called police.

The woman was taken to hospital where nurses saw red marks on her neck and the man was charged.

The court heard the 68-year-old had lived in Australia for the past 30 years, but was previously employed as a Chinese doctor in Taiwan.

Defence barrister Michael Lawrence said the man was remorseful and had shown restraint during the incident by not stabbing or thrusting the knife toward his wife's body.

The court heard the pair are now separated and they do not know whether they will reconcile.

In sentencing, Judge Michael Shanahan ordered the man to undertake anger management classes as part of his probation order, saying he was satisfied the offending was an "aberration in an otherwise blameless life".